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At the time
of the crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Dogwood tree
was strong and was selected as the timber for the cross.
The Dogwood trees
were painfully distressed at having been chosen for the worst
calamity that has befallen man since the beginning of civilization,
and, Jesus sensing their grief for His suffering decreed:
"Never again
shall the stately Dogwood tree grow strong enough to be used
for a Cross. Hereafter, it shall be slender, bent and twisted,
and it shall bear profusely white blossoms in the form of a Cross~two
long and two short petals, in the center of the outer edge of
each petal there shall be nail prints, brown with rust and stained
with blood, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of
thorns. All who shall see it will remember that I was crucified
on timber from a Dogwood tree and this tree shall not be mutilated
nor destroyed, but cherished and protected in memory of Me".
And so, today upon
the hillsides the Dogwood tree grows, its branches slender, bent
and twisted, as the legend promised, bearing each spring its
snowy blossoms and each autumn its blood red berries. |
